Monday, December 6, 2010

Pittsburgh commuters and residents will have an easier time on the roads this winter according to Robert Kaczorowski, the Director of Public Works. Kaczorowski says that after the trouble of tackling last February's storm, in which Pittsburgh was covered in 27 inches of snow, he realized that there was no set plan for dealing with such emergencies. He says that the Mayor was helpful in pushing for a new plan that could help the department through more emergency situations.

However, Pittsburgh Council created a Snow Emergency Task Force that criticized the handling of the February storm and urged that a plan be developed.

Kaczorowski says the new plan establishes snow emergency routes where crews will focus on select roads to keep them operational in the event of a storm.Kaczorowski says the new routes will help residents and commuters be able to keep to their daily activities. "We'll have all of our city's forces and contracted services to clear those streets to make sure Port Authority buses, mass transportation, and the public can get from their neighborhood to Downtown, to the local grocery stores, (and) all the main arteries to and from the city."

The plan also streamlines the process for the city to hire private contractors to help city crews clear the roads. Kaczorowski says that the department has learned a lot from last year and is ready for what's in store for this winter. "Public Works Department will be prepared, the city of Pittsburgh will be prepared and we just need the public to be prepared as well."